Oxnard College Library Learning Resource Center Dedication, May 9, 2012

It was a beautiful day a week ago when we dedicated our new building.  The weather was perfect, the speeches were short and heartfelt and we heard lots of great comments about the building.  We haven't moved it yet; that takes place over the intersession, which starts today.  We'll be officially moved in and opened at 8:00 am on Monday, June 18, the first day of summer session.  Best wishes to the College's Spring 2012 graduates, whose commencement is today at 6:00 pm.

Without further ado, the photos...

 One of the second floor areas where the reference books will "live".

 Second floor periodical reading area.

 Jeff Erskine, IT manager, looking over the new library classroom/computer lab, where library instruction will take place.

 Yep...this is me, your friendly associate librarian, Tom Stough. 

 Beverley Young, Ray Acosta and Tina Sasaki.

 Connie Campos, Dean Marjie Price and a student worker from the Liberal Studies Division.

 Derek Stalcup, former student worker in our old Media Center.  Derek will be a library science intern for us during the summer and fall semesters and we're glad to have him help us with the transition.

 Former library dean Delois Flowers, my boss from 2000-2007.

 Delois' daughter Kenna and a friend.

 Outgoing student health director, and emcee extraordinaire Mary Jones, being honored for her years of service to Oxnard College.  She is transferring to Ventura College soon.

 Unveiling the plaque...

 ...and the plaque itself.

Another view of the classroom with Diva Ward, learning resources supervisor and Ellen Carey, librarian from Santa Barbara City College.

Community colleges, and the State of California, face many challenges these days...but let's take a moment to mark this special  new beginning of improved library and learning resource services begin at Oxnard College.  We shall prevail.

Unconference @ Santa Barbara City College Library

 Organized by SBCC Library Director Kenley Neufeld and his able band of librarians and staffers...this Unconference on May 5, 2012 had some excellent presentations for California community college librarians in general.  I learned about new and innovative ways to collect and use reference desk usage data, for example.  Digesting all the ideas from this and previous conferences will be one of my summer projects.

With views like the one above, how does anyone ever get any work done at SBCC??  I've been wanting to try an unconference since I first learned of the concept in October at Internet Librarian.  It's great:  cheap, easy and informal....

 ...did I say, "informal"??  I never quite got the rhythm to keep the Hula Hoop spinning, but had fun trying!

From my deep, dark past at Los Angeles Public Library:  the infamous "shelvers from hell" T-shirt!  Thanks to Sarah Bosler for taking these shots.